Ever wondered about your fellow classmates: where they are or what they've been doing since graduating from Saint Mary's? Ever thought about getting more involved with your local alumni chapter, but got too busy to do anything about it? This information is now just a click away with the creation of Jerome, the new Saint Mary's alumni online community.

Jerome makes it easy for you to keep in touch with your fellow Gaels, reconnect with your alma mater, or even search for a job or internship. The custom-designed Web portal offers each alum a permanent SMC alumni e-mail account to network with former classmates and learn of Alumni Association events.

The online community is named in memory of Brother Jerome West, FSC, who was very technologically savvy and used e-mail regularly, well into his eighties. An anonymous donor who contributed funding for the online community asked that it be named after Brother Jerome.

Jerome enables alumni to immediately access the alumni directory, update personal contact information, post a resume, join an alumni club or chapter, or sign up to become a mentor. Jerome also features SMCvite, an e-mail invitation tool to be used by alumni leaders to communicate about upcoming events. Future programming plans include buddy lists, chat rooms, and personal photo galleries.

"We are really excited about the opportunities presented by Jerome," says Lloyd V. Schine III '98, '04 M, director of Alumni Relations. "Alumni will be able to conveniently interact with each other and the college in a way that they have never been able to before due to the limits of time or distance."

Jerome was truly a team effort at Saint Mary's. Members of the computer and technology services department, advancement, and the career development center collaborated to make Jerome a reality. The college had considered several commercial products and services, but decided to create its own vision for a virtual community and develop the online tools entirely in-house, according to Micheline Sabatte '02, a Web developer for the College.

"As an alum, I think one of the most valuable services offered by Jerome is that it plugs us in to a community network that provides valuable social and professional resources," says Sabatte.

All alumni of the college's undergraduate, graduate, and Extended Education programs are eligible to log on to Jerome. For more information or for instructions on how to access Jerome, go to http://jerome.stmarys-ca.edu.